1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a circulatory storage apparatus for home use for storing a large number of clothes, books, daily necessaries and like articles efficiently therein and transporting a desired one of the stored articles quickly to a desired position of the apparatus, and more particularly to a circulatory storage apparatus wherein a plurality of rectangular circulatory frames on which hanger bars, cages or like members are mounted are interconnected by means of links and mounted for circulatory movement between and along upper and lower endless rails such that, when the circulatory frames are moved successively along the upper and lower endless rails, clothes hung on the hanger bars, books carried on the racks, daily necessaries accommodated in the cages or the like are circulatorily transported.
2. Description of the Related Art
A circulatory storage apparatus for documents is already known and disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,368,688. Home products which were a modification to the circulatory storage apparatus for clothes for home use were put on the market for several years from 1983 under the name of "Closet Carousel" from WHITE CAROUSEL, INC. in the United State. After then, similar products of a little modified form have been put on the market and are still put on the market from WHITE HOME PRODUCTS, INC. in the United States. Further, a circulatory storage apparatus for the same use which is further modified from the two products is disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Application No. 62-266007.
The conventional apparatus have a common structure in that a rectangular circulatory frame is hung on an upper endless rail by means of a pair of trolleys securely mounted at an upper side of the circulatory frame while a pair of lower rollers securely mounted on a lower side of the circulatory frame are engaged with a lower endless rail to prevent rocking motion of the rectangular circulatory frame. In short, the conventional apparatus is common in the basic structure in that the circulatory frame is hung for travelling movement on the upper endless rail while rocking motion of the circulatory frame is prevented by the lower endless rail.
Further, the trolleys are mounted on the upper side of the circulatory frame with mounting shafts therefor fitted for rotation through holes formed at predetermined locations of the upper side of the circulatory frame, and the lower rollers are either mounted directly on the circulatory frame with shafts therefor fitted in holes formed at predetermined locations of the lower side of the circulatory frame or supported for pivotal motion on a bracket which is securely mounted on the circulatory frame making use of such holes. A hanger bar is mounted on and extends horizontally between the opposite right and left sides of the circulatory frame with the opposite ends thereof secured to the left and right sides of the circulatory frame by means of screws fitted in holes formed in the left and right sides of the circulatory frame. The circulatory frame is formed either by joining the upper and lower side members and the left and right side members to each other by means of screws or by forming the four side members as a unitary member.
With the conventional apparatus of the structure described above, however, since a total weight of the circulatory frames and articles supported on the circulatory frames is applied as it is as a suspended load to the upper endless rail, the upper endless rail, support columns for the upper endless rail, the trolleys and so forth must have a strength and a structure sufficient to bear the suspended load, and besides, as the suspended load increases, the center of gravity of the entire apparatus rises, which deteriorates the stability of the apparatus. Therefore, many reinforcing members are required, which makes the cost of the apparatus high. Further, since the circulatory frames have a suspended structure, the operability of them is not high, and in order to move the circulatory frames, a great force is required particularly at a corner at which the endless rails are curved. Thus, in the products for home use such as the products of WHITE CAROUSEL, INC. and the products of WHITE HOME PRODUCTS, INC., the circulatory frames are driven to move by means of a motor, also which makes a cause of a high cost.
Further, in order to mount trolleys, hanger bars and lower rollers onto a circulatory frame, the circulatory frame must have mounting holes formed therein, which is one of the causes of a great number of man-hours required for manufacture of the apparatus, and besides, since the parts must be fitted into and through the holes, much time is required for mounting of them. Further, since the mounting positions of the trolleys, hanger bars and lower rollers depend naturally upon the positions of the holes, the their positions cannot be adjusted freely.